Jamie Carragher has voiced strong criticism of England manager Thomas Tuchel's decision to call up centre-back Trevoh Chalobah to the World Cup squad following an injury to Tino Livramento. Carragher believes this move has left the team short in the crucial right-back position and has diminished England's prospects in the tournament.
England secured a spot in the last 32 with a narrow 2-1 victory over DR Congo, thanks to a late brace from Harry Kane. The team now faces a challenging match against co-hosts Mexico in Mexico City. Despite topping their group after an initial 4-2 win against Croatia, England's performances have been unconvincing, raising concerns ahead of the knockout stage.
The right side of England's defense has been a persistent issue. First-choice right-back Reece James was sidelined with a hamstring injury after a 0-0 draw with Ghana. His deputy, Tino Livramento, was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to a calf problem sustained in training before the competition began. This situation allowed Tuchel to add a player to his squad, and he opted for Chelsea's Chalobah, a decision that drew scrutiny.
Djed Spence, initially selected as cover for left-back Nico O'Reilly, was deployed at right-back against DR Congo. That flank was exploited by the opposition, who scored within the first seven minutes.
Carragher argued that bringing in Chalobah, who is not a natural right-back, was a "bizarre decision." He told Sky Sports News, "This all just goes back to Thomas Tuchel's decisions around the right back area. It's just not been right from day one with the squad that's been picked."
He further elaborated, "He picked two very injury-prone players at right back, he brought another right back if you like, Djed Spence, but at left back. But I think to bring Chalobah in when there were injuries in that position was a bizarre decision. He's not a right back, so you're going to leave yourself short."
While some have suggested deploying midfielder Declan Rice at right-back, Carragher dismissed this idea. "No, I wouldn't start Declan Rice at right-back," he stated. "Look, England have got a slim chance of going all the way in the World Cup, I don't think playing Declan Rice as the right-back from now until the end of the tournament would be the solution."
Carragher expressed concern that moving Rice to defense would leave the midfield vulnerable. He pointed to Elliot Anderson's struggles in a previous match when Rice was absent, noting that even against less challenging opposition, the midfield faced difficulties dealing with counterattacks.
Carragher believes Rice should remain in midfield. He also defended Spence, suggesting that criticism following the last game was excessive. "He didn't have his best game, I must say that, but I don't think anyone has come out of this tournament so far with flying colours other than Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham," Carragher said. "I think a lot of the problems that arose in the last game were not so much the back four but how easy it was to get at the back four."
He concluded that the defensive unit is likely England's weakest area and that numerous issues contributed to the team's struggles in the opening stages of their recent match, not solely the performance of the defense.